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Topic: HELP (Read 4172 times)

I've wanted a sidecar rig for years but have zero experience with them. Now I went and did it! Recently bought a 2011 G5 Deluxe with 32 miles on it from a private party (no warranty and no dealer support). Nearest dealer is over 500 miles round trip. Tuesday I go to New Orleans to get an Inder Royal Retro attached. Will haul the bike over on a trailer and drag the rig back. Don't think riding over and back is a good idea since the bike ain't hardly broke in yet. Plus, I've never been on one with a car. Hope I didn't screw the pooch on this one. Think I'll be looking for a lot of HELP on this site. Please be patient.

It takes a bit of time to set up a side car correctly. They don't just bolt on, it takes a lot of pulling and pushing and maybe a little cussing . I can spend a full day setting one up right. If you are far away from the dealer plan on being there for a while.

Once you have it back. Go buy a large case of cheap bottled water (24 or 32 of the 500ml kind) to use as starting ballast unless you have some unused barbell weights. Put them in the sidecar just in front of the seat. Then practice very slow (10-15 mph or less) left and right turns in an empty parking lot. That is the advice I was given and found it very necessary. You have to relearn how to steer the bike similar to a car. Right turns are the trickiest - you have to learn to pull the right grip towards you without always revving the throttle. Also lean your body into the turn - whichever direction, but especially right turns. It puts your body weight over the sidecar to help keep it from lifting. I am still learning how to get that right.

When I commute to/from work on mine, I always arrive with a smile. Just did my first "long ride" with mine - about 110 mile of back roads from Austin, Texas to San Antonio, Texas. Hot and tiring, but nice all the same.

Thank you folks for the input. Fellow I'm buying from sells them as a side business. Says it takes him an average of ten hours to get one right. I expect to be there late. Another reason for the use of the car hauler. Have also arranged for a friend to ride along and keep me focused... Still think the whole project is going to be fun.

Sidecars are fun, I had a Dnepr for a while. Everything Mplayle said is true. Get the yellow book and read it. http://www.amazon.com/Driving-Sidecar-Outfit-David-Hough/dp/B001PQFI9G That is the link to amazon, I found it years ago for free on a down load, you might be able to as well. Right handers are tough, stay off the front brake in left handers, you will dive the front and flip over your sidecar if you do it too hard.

Got it! Got back from the Big Easy a little while ago with the G5 w/sidecar attached. A real adventure. Very late, I'm tired, and wife and girl goe to airport tomorrow. Hope to have more and figure out how to post pictures soon.

1. The car was not completly assembled when I took it home. Running out of time and had to get back and just could not drive off and leave it.

2. Started to put the Inder Retro Royal together and found out some parts were missing! The hub appeared to be made to take a brake (?). There was no way to close in the back side. Spindle was exposed. Did not look good. Waiting for parts from Inder might take a while. He had on hand a Kozi Rocket that had been mounted on a Triumph. When the deal fell through he took the car off and sold the bike. Offered it to me for the same price as the Inder. Thought it was a good deal and took it. Technically used but less than 20 miles on it.

3. Comparing Inder to Kozi. There does seem to be a difference, at least in these two. Overall metal gauge, etc. seemed real close. But, the fittings (badges, etc.) on the Inder were poor. Both had scuffed paint from shipping damage. Mounting hardware seemed to be interchangable. Upholstery on Kozi was better.

4. The man done me good. He worked about eight hours putting it together and did not charge me anything. Can't see how he can make a living at it but I'm happy.

5. He test drove it four times with me in the car and made adjustments. Turned it over to me and I immediately drove it into a telephone pole at about three miles per hour. Remeasured everything and set it up again. A very patient fellow.

6. Don't try to ride it!! Now I have to learn how to drive a motorcycle.

I'm interested in how hard it is to learn to drive a side car. I really want to get a side car set up so I can take my English Bulldog, Louie, with me on rides. Keep us posted on your progress and be safe!

There are several online sources for reading material on how to "drive" a sidecar rig - even a US Sidecar association. Find their site and read as a start.

Then try to find some videos of regular sidecar rigs being "driven". (Not the 'off-road' trails competition videos.) After watching a few, start mentally visualizing yourself making those same maneuvers.

Drove it around the back yard (about a quarter of a city block) a few times yesterday. Right turns were very difficult. Today I bought four 12 pacs of bottled water and put them in the car. What a difference! Still have to push it around but was able to do a few figure eights. Progress, no?

About 30 minutes ago, the UPS man dropped off "Driving A Sdidecar Outfit, second edition." Looks to be very informative. Will be studying this weekend. Scottie, that is a great idea about watching the videos. Will cruise the net as soon as I have a chance. Have to go down to the Coast this weekend and don't have internet there.

In another thred there was talk about the rubber bands supporting the tub on the frame cracking. Would there be any problem Armor Alling the daylights out of them. Should keep the rubber from drying out, I think. Any comments?

I'm interested in how hard it is to learn to drive a side car. I really want to get a side car set up so I can take my English Bulldog, Louie, with me on rides.

I rode a BMW rig many years ago and I didn't really find it at all difficult to learn. I was soon flying the side car and having a lot of fun with it. It was definitely different than a single tracker. What I learned about them quickly is that they have all the disadvantages of a motorcycle and a car and no advantages of either! But then, that's me!

Scottie, riding with a sidecar is fun but it defiantly handles different than a regular motorcycle. It takes practice. I have driving a bullet with a side car for about 2 years now. If you can find a place that gives lessons you should probably take them. The bike will corner a lot differently than a regular motorcycle. It has taken me some time to get used to. I have a basset hound "Judge" that rides with me. He loves it and now if I don't take him with me when I get the bike out he throws a fit. I started him out riding around the back yard, then the neighborhood. Once he got used to it he was fine. I keep him strapped in with a little body harness. You can get one at any pet store. This keeps him safe if I have to slam on the brakes and keeps him from jumping out when he smells all that absolutely fascinating road kill.

Read the book and practice in a parking lot somewhere quiet. I took mine to work on a Saturday and I was good to go in about an hour. It's very similar to riding the old three wheelers, if you ever did that. You turn into the road and lean with it. I have had mine for two years now and my son loves riding with me. We even slide it around corners on dirt roads . Make sure to Locktite all your hardware (or use nyloc nuts). It's lots of fun once you get used to the fact your motorcycle is as wide as the road. The only thing I want to do is get a two finger brake lever so I can brake and throttle into right hand corners going down the mountain roads in my area. Have fun !!!

Read the book and practice in a parking lot somewhere quiet. I took mine to work on a Saturday and I was good to go in about an hour. It's very similar to riding the old three wheelers, if you ever did that. You turn into the road and lean with it. I have had mine for two years now and my son loves riding with me. We even slide it around corners on dirt roads . Make sure to Locktite all your hardware (or use nyloc nuts). It's lots of fun once you get used to the fact your motorcycle is as wide as the road. The only thing I want to do is get a two finger brake lever so I can brake and throttle into right hand corners going down the mountain roads in my area. Have fun !!!

I ought to be able to pick it right up then. I was riding 3 and 4 wheelers quite a few years before I ever jumped on a dirt bike, working on dairy farms and all. As far as sliding it sideways and drifting on the dirt rodes...... There's a good possibility I'd be doing that before I ever got it on asphalt! Thanks for your insight guys!

Oh boy another long one....If you order something from us like the book and want it sent by post we will do it, It can be cheaper (not always anymore), but all bets are off because of no tracking. They don't lose much though. The last I knew we gave away a copy of that book with every sidecar that we sell to help encourage our customers to be safe.

As Marty has mentioned the set-up can take all day, especially the first time you do it.

ABOVE ALL read the book and practice for quite a while in a parking lot. I did not do this and took out a mailbox and the side of a custom Harley within 10 minutes. I also know a guy that killed himself because like me he thought he knew everything.

They are safe and are not hard to drive but "drive" is the operative word. You do not ride a sidecar bike, you drive it......unless you are flying the sidecar at which point it becomes a motorcycle again. It really does require some practice to be safe. If you can find training even better. Do not be afraid but be informed. Cornering is very very different with a sidecar and you have to think ahead a bit more.

Did not mean to be critical. I am satisfied with the service. They did not charge me the full amount quoted for shipping on the book. Got it pretty quick and find it to be very helpfull. Also got the key blank sooner than expected. We will be doing more business.

Now a question for experienced sidecar drivers. They first few weeks were just around the back yard. When I took it out on the road found I get a lot of wobble/shake at about 15 MPH. Felt like a flat on the front. Got it home and tire pressure was good. Also checked all bolts and connections on the mount and found none lose. All seems to be in order. Thinking about unhooking the car and checking the bike but I'm pretty sure it will ride smooth.

Fellow I got the car from suggested a steering damper. Seems like overkill to me (?). The Kozi was designed for the RE, wasn't it? Any and all suggestions/comments will be appreciated. Gotta get her up and running. Just riding around the yard got a lot of attention. Have a listed started of folks that want to take a ride. May be a pain sometimes, but I still think the rig is fun.

Steering dampener is the right answer. You bike is dealing with a lot of force pulling in two different directions. No matter how well set up it is it will pull and push depending on accelerating or braking. Look at Ural, they all have dampeners built in. That is the best example of a sidecar rig you can find, they are built that way for a reason. All that said, go over your setup again, make adjustments and see how much you can eliminate, then get a dampener. It sounds like you may be toed in a little too far, but I could be wrong. Lean out, toe in, get that right and have fun.

SamgarThanks for the response. I will go over the geometry of it again as soon as I can get the time. Seem to be awfully busy with family and farm right now. Not real keen on the damper. She's hard enough to steer now. But I really want to put this rig on the road.

Granted, I don't have a sidecar rig, but I was skeptical of using my steering damper at first too. I was afraid of the steering being to stiff and not being able to control the bike in slow turns. But after riding the bike with the damper in several different positions, I've found that the bike rides best having it cranked about 3/4 turn out from being completely tight. Just my experience, so it might be worth a try.

My sidecar rig came with the steering damper already installed. It haven't noticed it being hard to steer. It does smooth out the steering and prevent the very wobble you are experiencing. Many of the sidecar articles I read before getting my rig all recommended the use of a steering damper for just that reason.

Any sidecar requires the use of a steering dampener. Many bikes use to have one fitted as standard equipment. When riding solo, it was left loose. Most riders did not know why it was there. Only when a sidecar was fitted did they learn what it was for. GA-DK.

Had two friends ride in from Ohio. They helped me tune the rig a little. The steering damper makes all the difference in the world. That and tire pressure!

Put the damper on and still had some wobble (?). Friend asks about tire pressure. I've been keeping it at pressure recommended by the manual, 20 front, 30 rear. On his Vulcan Voyager he runs over recommended to get a smooth ride. Pumped it up to 36 front and rear. WOW! No wobble, except when accelerating hard she gives a twitch to the right and down shifting at speeds she gives a twitch to the left. But, the damper seems to take hold and smooth it out. The rig is now rideable. We all took it up and down the road a few times. Got my daughter in it and all agree; it is fun.

Lessons learned:They make them dampers for a reason, they work.Tire pressure is very important. Question what you read and experiment.

We are going to have fun with this. Went to the bank in our small town today. When I came out there was a Harley rider (you could tell by the tee shirt, due rag, belt buckle, etc.) drooling on my RE. Mumbling something about how pretty it was. Before it was over he had invited me to his house to ride with him and his buddies.

We are going to have fun with this. Went to the bank in our small town today. When I came out there was a Harley rider (you could tell by the tee shirt, due rag, belt buckle, etc.) drooling on my RE. Mumbling something about how pretty it was. Before it was over he had invited me to his house to ride with him and his buddies.

I'm glad you met a normal( or abnormal) Harley rider.Most of the time H-D riders are just ,...well,.. posers.Seen one slobber over himself to get a closer look at me on my RE. Then he ignored me with the classic H-D bold face "grimmest look". No doubt a defeated office whinnie.Ride safe.

It seems to ride much smoother with more weight. Had one in car (150 lbs +-) one on back (100 lbs +-) had left weights in car (75 lbs) and little old man in the saddle (126 lbs). The smoothest it ever ran (?). Did not get over 40 MPH so did not feel lose of power.

Got it up to 50 MPH one time with wife in car (123 lbs). I'm still concerned about break in period. Engine seems to make a lot of noise (rattling sounds) at higher revs. But, I wear hearing aids so it is hard to tell.

It is a real attention getter. Every time we stopped, someone walked up and asked about it. Most assume it is a rebuild.

As an experiment, I tried to kick start the rig with car attached. It can be done! Actually, it was pretty easy. To be fair I have to say it was already warmed up when I tried. Nice to know it's there as a backup.

Quick update. Did an oil change at 352 miles. Waited because it took a few days longer than expected to get the filters. Oil was very dirty. The magnets in the drain plug and oil screen really work! Looked like a lot of metal shavings in there (?). Couldn't do a complete drain because I didn't want to unhook the car. Think it all went well. Now have over 600 miles on it and it's running smooth. Using it to pick up my daughter at school, 23.1 miles one way. The moms tell me the other kids are all jealous. Never seen so many friendly kids; or moms. This thing is a chick magnet. If I had had it when I was 19 and riding regular I'd have burnt out years ago. Anyway, we're having fun.

My rig in back yard with two friends' rides. They came down from OH for a couple days. That's my girl standing by the rig.

Got the fender straightened out today. Friend who is a welder fixed me a bracket to hold the front edge. It was banging against the shock. Will disassemble it, paint it black and put it together in the next few days.

Change the oil and filter again at about 1000 miles. There will still be a fair amount of crap on the magnets and in the screen. It's normal. Then you can go on the handbook schedule. As for break in, you are pretty well done with the limited stuff and you can start upping the performance levels. I'm not quite sure what limits I'd use with the side car, just ride it like as you would normally ride anything else. Just enjoy it.Bare

Rode down to the Coast and back this weekend. About 200 miles all together. Now have over 1,000 miles on her and will do another oil change.

Some notes on performance. - She's running like a top. Vibrates but feels good. - Can cruise at 60 MPH with no excess vibration.- Had it up to 65 twice with no control problems.- There seems to be a false neutral between 3rd and 4th (?). Think I'm in 4th and it freewheels. - Almost everyone you see wants to talk about it.- Had to carry weights in the car, wife and daughter didn't want to sit in it that long. - Little old ladies wave and smile. Wait a minute, they might be younger than me. - Lots of young women wave and smile. - Harley riders wave and smile. - Crotch rocket riders ignore you. - Don't understand why more people don't have one. - I'm having a ball

Hacks are awesome fun. I've been piloting a Ural since 2003. You might also want to contact a Ural dealer in your area. They give away a sidecar driving manual with each new Ural and I think you can buy the book inexpensively from a dealer too.

Finally got around to figuring out MPGs with the rig. Been using the rig to bring daughter home from school daily (just under 50 miles round trip) and going to check on live stock daily (about 20 miles round trip). Have been averaging 62.3 MPG and the rig is not set up to peak perfomance. Have adjusted the mounts twice but still getting pull to right at speeds above 50 MPH. More on that later. It is late for old guys like me. Also had a couple of small issues with the bike I'll outline later.

At start of my sidecar adventure i took a sidecar training course and it was really, really worth it. I'd suggest anyone just starting out with sidecars to do so, as it got me ahead of the "self-teaching" curve and i was much more prepared for being on the road. "Sidecarist" the United Sidecar Assoc. (www.sidecar.com) has a list of some training classes. Washington State requires a "3 wheel" endorsement on drivers license to drive a combination.

I don't own a sidecar rig and I have never driven one either.That said, I would think the wind resistance of a sidecar at 50+ MPH would be enough to cause a very noticable "pull to the right" (if the sidecar was attached on the right hand side of the bike).

If the sidecar was adjusted to try to steer to the left to offset this high speed wind effect I would expect it to force the motorcycle to the left at speeds slower than 40 MPH.

AwLI would like to take one of the courses offered by USA. Everything I've seen offered would require big time travel and time away from obligations here. I'm in south MS and cannot even find someone to compare notes with.

ArizoniWhat you say seems logical. But, at 40 and below I cannot feel any pull in steering. Pulls right on acceleration and left when down shifting or braking. I think the objective is to find the point where you get the least amount in either direction. Balance (?). Have a friend who is a welder and has a nice shop with an even floor. Hope that next week we can losen all the attaching mounts and try to balance (?) the rig. Have to do something, getting very uneven ware on the sidecar tire.

Have also had a godawful time with the fender mount on the car. Vibrated lose (second time) and lost the rear mounting bolt. Fabricated one from half inch allthread and had fender patched/welded where it cracked. Much solider than original mount. Vibration seems to be a continuous problem. Late now but will post more later about exhaust pipe falling off (at 55 MPH)!

Maybe I've contracted some kind of "Enfield" desease but I still love it. Went to a school sponsored 5K run this evening and had eight people ask for a ride. Even the cop providing the motorcycle escort said the bike was cool.

Get used to the bolts rattling off. I thought I had used Loc-Tite on all the obvious places, but I still loose something, or something breaks about every tank of gas. It's frustrating, but now I'm in the habit of every week or so I go around the bike and tighten everything I can put a wrench or socket on.

Sidecar alignment is indeed critical. The Cozy sidecar you have is a "free-wheel" type - no brake on the sidecar. As such you will always get some pull right on acceleration (sidecar 'dragging') and left pull on deceleration (sidecar 'pushing'). If you have the handbook mentioned in earlier posts by others, it provides a better explanation.

The tire wear on the sidecar will be the alignment. I don't recall if the handbook explains the proper alignment. I am inclined to say it needs to be as straight ahead as possible for left-right alignment. For the vertical alignment, the bike and sidecar are supposed to lean very slightly away from each other according to stuff I have read. I seem to recall it being something like 1 to 1.5 degrees is all.

Again it's late and I don't have much time. For sure I have too much lean on the car. When I bought it, he said 4 degrees lean out. Hope to get a chance to realign it some time this week. The info at http://www.cyclesidecar.com/Guides/enfield.html really looks to be helpful. More later.

The more you lean the motorcycle out the less toe in you need on the side car. Less toe in makes the tires last longer. Normal is about 1 degree out and about an inch or a little less toe in, measured just in front of the front tire and just behind the rear.

motomatayaThank you for this insight. Last Friday we totally realigned the car. It is now level and looks much better. However, it is pulling to the right. The higher the speed the worse the pull; the more weight in the car the worse the pull. Have not measured the actual lean on the bike but it is obviously leaning in, which is all wrong. Will try it again....

Getting to be somewhat of a pain, but I still like riding this thing. We'll get it together one day.

Hello AllHad some fun today (?). Had to adjust the chain. Think the hardest part was getting her up on the center stand so the back wheel could freewheel. I jacked the sidecar up and then found out I did not have to. After close examination, I realize I should adjusted the chain sooner. The left side cam that sets the spacing was not up against the pin that is supposed to hold it at the same distance on both sides. It must have come from the factory/dealer like this. Guess I am really lucking I did not have slippage. Put about 60 miles on it after the adjustment and she is running good. Again, I found the YouTube info posted by singh5g to be extremely helpful. If you have not seen his posting, I highly recommend you check them out.

New tires on the rig. Guess I did okay. Got 4,281 miles out of the originals. I really like the look of the Heidenau I got for the other rig. So, bought their K34 3.25X19 for the front and the car. Price was good, $107 each. They make a square profile for the rear but only in 18 inch max. Settled for an Avon sidecar triple duty MK2 3.50X19. Wasn't sure if the 4.00X19 would fit. Will update when I get a few miles on them.

By the way, all three tires were wearing even. Think this means I got the balance on the sidecar straightened out, for the time being anyway.

Had the tires put on at a local shop. He is a small time operation and I want to help him out. Besides, I'm getting old and my time is more valuable nowadays.

Picked the rig up this afternoon. Wow! Or should I say Whoa. Changing tires changed the way the rig sits, for lack of a better term. Handlebars feel like they are at a different angle (?). Handling is okay at low speeds. Then it pulls to the right as you accelerate above 50. Much more pronounced with a rider in the car. Hope to go back tomorrow and confirm they did not change anything on the car mounts. Don't see why they would have. (?)

Also note that she seems to be straining harder to maintain speed (higher RPMs to reach same speed). Don't know if a larger diamiter on the rear tire would have changed the ratio of the drive wheel causing the need for higher RPM. Does this make any sense? For sure having tread pattern on the front makes a big difference over the grooved Avon that was on it. My impression is; I can feel the road more. Again, does this make any sense?

What ever way it goes, I'm still having fun with this rig. Owner of the shop said he had a bunch of questions about the Enfield while it was sitting there. She should be ready for the big sidecar ralley in SC next month.

Drove the rig twice since the new tires were put on. Parked it for five days while out of area. Came back and rear tire was flat. Tried to air it up and it would not take air (?). Bought a pack of valves and put a new one in. Still would not take air (?). Had daughter assist and we discovered air was leaking around the spokes (!). I am assuming the tube is torn or some such problem. Will remove back wheel and take it back to the shop that installed the tire tomorrow.

Had some serious electrical problems, all discussed in the UCE section of the forum. Got the rig running and took it to the United Sidecare Association national rally in SC. The trip up was hell. Hoped for two and a half days there and wound up with one. Misread wife's flight schedule and left a day late. Had the rig on a trailer. Ran into a hail storm. Interstate was shutdown. Truck overheated. Wound up spending a night with brother-in-law in GA! Got one full day there. The rig was running good but had no time to clean it up. Met some great sidecar freaks and saw some awesome rigs. Just about everyone was impressed with the G5/Rocket rig. It is a show stopper. Got home and was going to the post office the next day and she died!!!! Couldn't find the cause. Took it to the shop and they found a relay under the hotdog cover that had fallen out of it's socket. $68 dollars latter she is running great. Still love my Enfield.....

I just bought an Inder sidecar to mount on my military c5. It arrived damaged in the crate(fende dented) and with zero instructions. Not even a parts list. Dealer/supplier was no help what so ever.Does anyone have a couple of decent photos of the sidecar installed. What I've found online has not been helpful. I understand there is a lot of tweaking and adjusting to get it right, I just need to find the starting point, the mounting positions and the hardware placement.Thanks in advance.